LEWISTON – Photographer Russ Dillingham suffered no aches and pains a day after tackling a runaway fugitive, but the Sun Journal Web site was limping a bit.

So many major media outlets were providing links to the story about Dillingham’s heroics that the server crashed several times Thursday.

By late afternoon, an estimated 5.6 million requests for the story had come in through the Web site. That’s based on 200 requests per second, far above the Sun Journal’s usual rate of between five and eight requests each second.

The story was so big it was threatening to topple last year’s heavyweight news sensation generated by the Sun Journal. Specifically, the Dillingham story was proving larger and more widespread than stories about the mystery beast discovered in Turner in August 2006.

“Russ is crushing the beast,” said David Costello, the Sun Journal’s vice president of technology.

Dillingham was greeted by applause and accolades throughout the day. Co-workers cheered his arrival in the newsroom.

Meanwhile, Norman “Bo” Thompson, the 37-year-old suspect he is accused of capturing, remained in jail.

Dillingham tackled Thompson on Wednesday after photographing the suspect leaping from a third-floor porch in downtown Lewiston. Police, who had chased Thompson to the porch, yelled to the Sun Journal veteran to tackle him, and the photographer complied.

“I’d probably do it again,” Dillingham said Thursday. “Even though my wife said she’d kill me if I ever did something like that again.”

News about the dramatic capture spread across the globe on Thursday, picked up by major media like the Drudge Report, Fark.com, Fox News and the Boston newspapers. In line with his new celebrity status, Dillingham gave interviews to television and radio news reporters from across the country.

But just as stunning as Dillingham’s actions, most agreed, were the photos he took before and after Thompson was taken into custody.

“To me, it’s not just the fact that he tackled the guy. It’s also about all the great pictures he got,” said Lewiston deputy police Chief Michael Bussiere. “Russ is the quintessential multi-tasker.”

The sensational photos and dramatic capture sparked debates about whether Dillingham did the right thing by stepping in when asked to do so by police. The Sun Journal has no formal policy that covers the issue, but his bosses had no problem with Dillingham using his own judgment. He is a 25-year veteran, after all.

“He did what he felt was the right thing to do,” said daytime Managing Editor Judith Meyer. “Frankly, we’re proud of him.”

Lewiston police, too. It was their officers who shouted down from the third floor, from which Thompson had jumped. They yelled to Dillingham to stop the fleeing fugitive.

“The fact is, you want good citizens to help when they can,” said police Sgt. David Chick. “And that’s what Russ did. We asked him to intervene, and he complied.”

In spite of the clamor of praise Thursday, it was back to the basics for Dillingham when it was time to work. In the morning, he went to Lewiston High School to photograph a teacher who won a national award.

Walking into the school, he was greeted by many who wanted to express their admiration. One student approached Dillingham and said, “I heard about you on the radio” and praised him for what he did.

So did Sharon Martel, who processes students and visitors as they come in the high school.

“I said to him, ‘You have to be inconspicuous as a photojournalist,'” Martel said. “He happened to be at the right place at the right time. What he did was fabulous.”

Lewiston Regional Technical Center director Don Canaan saw Dillingham and smiled, saying: “Good for you” and “great shots. Impressive. You’re a hero of sorts.”

“It was fun to watch the community reacting to the hero,” said Sun Journal reporter Bonnie Washuk, who was covering the story of the teacher who won the award.

Dillingham accepted the praise, but did not let it distract him from the job at hand. When teacher Pamela Abzan was surprised with the award, he snapped a photograph of her covering her face with shock and joy.

It was less physically demanding and more satisfying than lunging at a suspect.

“That’s the kind of journalism I do 90 percent of the time,” Dillingham said. “And that’s exactly the kind of thing that I like to do the most.”

Sun Journal staff reporter Bonnie Washuk contributed to this report.